Regarding the implementation of the Joint Way Forward on migration issues between Afghanistan and the EU, the Commission would like to update the information provided on 20 November 2017 in the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee and provide the Honourable Members with additional details regarding the return flights.

Since the first application of the Joint Way Forward on 2 October 2016, 23 charter flights were carried out, from 12 December 2016 to 21 December 2017, coordinated and financed by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (EBCGA). The total cost of these flights is EUR 5 479 694.95.

A total of 358 third-country nationals have been returned to Afghanistan on operations coordinated by the EBCGA. The large majority of the returnees were adult males, with a small number of females (11) and minors (6), who have been returned as part of a family. The Commission and the EBCGA do not have information on the exact age of the returnees.